World Hearing Day

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Logo of the World Hearing Day World Hearing Day-LOGO high def.jpg
Logo of the World Hearing Day

World Hearing Day is a campaign held each year by Office of Prevention of Blindness and Deafness of the World Health Organization (WHO). Activities take place across the globe and an event is hosted at the World Health Organization on March 3. The campaign's objectives are to share information and promote actions towards the prevention of hearing loss and improved hearing care. Any individual or organization can participate in various ways, by sharing campaign materials and organizing outreach actions. Examples are provided in the World Hearing Day annual activities reports. For participation to be recognized, one needs to register and report on their activity.

Contents

The first event was held in 2015. [1] Before then it was known as International Ear Care Day. [2] Each year, the WHO selects a theme, develops educational materials, and makes these freely available in several languages. It also coordinates and reports on events around the globe. Individuals and communities involved in hearing care are encouraged to organize activities to raise awareness about the importance of ear and hearing care and encourage them to seek services.

2024

2024 World Hearing Day, "Changing mindsets" Whd-poster-final-a1.png
2024 World Hearing Day, "Changing mindsets"

The 2024 World Hearing Day campaign will concentrate on overcoming challenges posed by societal misperceptions and stigmatizing mindsets through awareness-raising and information-sharing targeted at the public and healthcare providers. The chosen theme for 2024 is "Let's make ear and hearing care a reality for all!". [3]

Important objectives World Hearing Day:

  1. Counter the common misperceptions related to ear and hearing problems in communities and among health care providers.
  2. Provide accurate and evidence-based information to change public perceptions of ear and hearing problems.
  3. Call on countries and civil society to address misperceptions and stigmatizing mindsets related to hearing loss, as a crucial step towards ensuring equitable access to ear and hearing care.

WHO has emphasized that over 80% of people globally who require hearing care are not receiving it. This situation incurs an estimated cost of US$1 trillion related to unaddressed hearing loss. [4] Social misperceptions and stigmatizing mindsets are recognized as factors that hinder efforts to prevent and address hearing loss. The main objectives of World Hearing Day 2024 will be to challenge ear-related misconceptions, provide evidence-based information to reshape public perceptions of hearing loss, and call on nations and society to combat stigmas for equitable access to ear and hearing care. [3]

2023

The theme for 2023 and subsequent years is "Ear and hearing care for all! Let's make it a reality". [5] Not only will World Hearing Day 2023 highlight the importance of integrating ear and hearing care within primary care as an essential component of universal health coverage but also provide tools for that integration or expansion of services.[ citation needed ]

A new training manual "Primary ear and hearing care training manual for health workers and general practitioners" was released on March 3, 2023, and it is accompanied by a trainer's handbook and other community resources.

A video by WHO's director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus explains the effort. Wiki4WorldHearingDay2023 an edit-a-thon, was part of the 2023 activities of the campaign, to facilitate the contribution of hearing-related content into Wikipedia in several languages. Activities were reported in a Wikimedia dashboard. [6]

2023 World Hearing Day, "Ear and hearing care for all!" WHO-world-hearing-day-2023 with text.png
2023 World Hearing Day, "Ear and hearing care for all!"

2022

The theme of World Hearing Day 2022 was "To hear for life, listen with care." [7]

2023 World Hearing Day, "To hear for life listen with care!" World Hearing Day 2022 announcement poster - WHO.pdf
2023 World Hearing Day, "To hear for life listen with care!"

Key messages and information focused on the importance and means of preventing hearing loss from recreational sounds through safe listening. During World Hearing Day 2022 these resources were launched:

2021

The theme of the campaign for 2021 was "Hearing Care for All." The launch of the World Report on Hearing (WRH) took place on March 3, 2021, during an event at the World Health Organization in Geneva. It was a global call for action to address hearing loss and ear diseases across the life course. The WRH was developed to provide guidance for WHO Member States to integrate ear and hearing care into their national health plan per the World Health Assembly resolution WHA70.13, adopted in 2017. The report includes epidemiological and financial data on hearing loss; outlines available cost-effective solutions and sets the way forward through integrated people-centered ear and hearing care. The global launch of the report was followed by regional launches involving the participation of ministries of health and other participants from several Member States. The report's reach is global but includes a special focus on low- and middle-income countries, where the number of people with hearing loss is not matched by the availability of services and resources. [8]

2020

Logo for the 2020 World Hearing Day World-hearing-day-2020-announcement-en.pdf
Logo for the 2020 World Hearing Day
Logo for Wiki4WorldHearingDay2019 Wiki4worldhearingday logo.jpg
Logo for Wiki4WorldHearingDay2019

The theme of the campaign for 2020 was "Hearing for Life. Don't let hearing loss limit you". [9] The selection of the theme by the World Health Organization expresses the key message that timely and effective interventions can ensure that people with hearing loss are able to achieve their full potential. It recognizes that, at all life stages, communication and good hearing health connect us to each other, our communities, and the world. It highlights that appropriate and timely interventions can facilitate access to education, employment and communication. Unfortunately, across the globe, ear and hearing care are insufficient, and the WHO argues that all public health systems should include ear and hearing care. One of the products that came out from the 2020 campaign was a WHO Report for Basic Ear and Hearing Care. [10]

Previous years

2019: The theme of the campaign for 2019 was "Check your hearing" as data from both developed and developing countries indicate that a significant part of the burden associated with hearing loss comes from unaddressed hearing difficulties. [11] [12]

A study conducted in the United Kingdom indicate that only 20% of those who have a hearing problem seek treatment. [13] [14] A study performed in South Africa reported that individuals who experience hearing difficulties wait between 5 and 16 years to seek diagnosis and treatment. [15] Two hundred and ninety one events/activities from 81 countries were registered, and will be described in their annual report. For the celebration, on February 25, 2019, WHO launched hearWHO, a free application for mobile devices which allows people to check their hearing regularly and intervene early in case of hearing loss. [16] The app is targeted at those who are at risk of hearing loss or who already experience some of the symptoms related to hearing loss. [17]

Wiki4WorldHearingDay2019, an edit-a-thon, was part of the 2019 activities of the campaign, to facilitate the contribution of hearing-related content into Wikipedia in several languages. Activities were reported in a Wikimedia dashboard and summarized a few publications. [18] [17] In addition, a Meet-up took place with presentations by researchers from HEAR in Cincinnati, from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities and National Center for Environmental Health, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, by the Wikipedian-in-Residence from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and the Wikipedia Consultant for Cochrane. [17]

2018: The theme of World Hearing Day 2018 was "Hear the future" to highlight the estimates of an increase in the number of people with hearing loss around the world in the coming decades. [19]

2017: The theme of World Hearing Day 2017 was "Action for hearing loss: make a sound investment", which focused on the economic impact of hearing loss. [20]

2016: The theme of World Hearing Day 2016 was "Childhood hearing loss: act now, here is how!" which provided information on public health measures that could prevent significant percentage of cases of hearing loss in children. [21]

2015: The theme for World Hearing Day was "Make Listening Safe", which drew attention to the rising problem of noise-induced hearing loss due to recreational exposure. [22]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hearing loss</span> Partial or total inability to hear

Hearing loss is a partial or total inability to hear. Hearing loss may be present at birth or acquired at any time afterwards. Hearing loss may occur in one or both ears. In children, hearing problems can affect the ability to acquire spoken language, and in adults it can create difficulties with social interaction and at work. Hearing loss can be temporary or permanent. Hearing loss related to age usually affects both ears and is due to cochlear hair cell loss. In some people, particularly older people, hearing loss can result in loneliness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hearing aid</span> Electroacoustic device

A hearing aid is a device designed to improve hearing by making sound audible to a person with hearing loss. Hearing aids are classified as medical devices in most countries, and regulated by the respective regulations. Small audio amplifiers such as personal sound amplification products (PSAPs) or other plain sound reinforcing systems cannot be sold as "hearing aids".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Audiology</span> Branch of science that studies hearing, balance, and related disorders

Audiology is a branch of science that studies hearing, balance, and related disorders. Audiologists treat those with hearing loss and proactively prevent related damage. By employing various testing strategies, audiologists aim to determine whether someone has normal sensitivity to sounds. If hearing loss is identified, audiologists determine which portions of hearing are affected, to what degree, and where the lesion causing the hearing loss is found. If an audiologist determines that a hearing loss or vestibular abnormality is present, they will provide recommendations for interventions or rehabilitation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World Health Day</span> Worldwide day of action organized by the WHO

World Health Day is a global health awareness day celebrated every year on 7 April, under the sponsorship of the World Health Organization (WHO), as well as other related organizations.

H.E.A.R. is a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing hearing loss, mainly from loud rock music. The acronym stands for Hearing Education and Awareness for Rockers. It was founded in 1988 by rock musician Kathy Peck and physician Flash Gordon, M.D. after Kathy developed tinnitus and hearing loss after playing with the band The Contractions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Health effects from noise</span> Health consequences of exposure to elevated sound levels

Noise health effects are the physical and psychological health consequences of regular exposure to consistent elevated sound levels. Noise from traffic, in particular, is considered by the World Health Organization to be one of the worst environmental stressors for humans, second only to air pollution. Elevated workplace or environmental noise can cause hearing impairment, tinnitus, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, annoyance, and sleep disturbance. Changes in the immune system and birth defects have been also attributed to noise exposure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noise-induced hearing loss</span> Medical condition

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a hearing impairment resulting from exposure to loud sound. People may have a loss of perception of a narrow range of frequencies or impaired perception of sound including sensitivity to sound or ringing in the ears. When exposure to hazards such as noise occur at work and is associated with hearing loss, it is referred to as occupational hearing loss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pure-tone audiometry</span>

Pure-tone audiometry is the main hearing test used to identify hearing threshold levels of an individual, enabling determination of the degree, type and configuration of a hearing loss and thus providing a basis for diagnosis and management. Pure-tone audiometry is a subjective, behavioural measurement of a hearing threshold, as it relies on patient responses to pure tone stimuli. Therefore, pure-tone audiometry is only used on adults and children old enough to cooperate with the test procedure. As with most clinical tests, standardized calibration of the test environment, the equipment and the stimuli is needed before testing proceeds. Pure-tone audiometry only measures audibility thresholds, rather than other aspects of hearing such as sound localization and speech recognition. However, there are benefits to using pure-tone audiometry over other forms of hearing test, such as click auditory brainstem response (ABR). Pure-tone audiometry provides ear specific thresholds, and uses frequency specific pure tones to give place specific responses, so that the configuration of a hearing loss can be identified. As pure-tone audiometry uses both air and bone conduction audiometry, the type of loss can also be identified via the air-bone gap. Although pure-tone audiometry has many clinical benefits, it is not perfect at identifying all losses, such as ‘dead regions’ of the cochlea and neuropathies such as auditory processing disorder (APD). This raises the question of whether or not audiograms accurately predict someone's perceived degree of disability.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hearing conservation program</span>

Hearing conservation programs are designed to prevent hearing loss due to noise. Hearing conservation programs require knowledge about risk factors such as noise and ototoxicity, hearing, hearing loss, protective measures to prevent hearing loss at home, in school, at work, in the military and, and at social/recreational events, and legislative requirements. Regarding occupational exposures to noise, a hearing conservation program is required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) "whenever employee noise exposures equal or exceed an 8-hour time-weighted average sound level (TWA) of 85 decibels (dB) measured on the A scale or, equivalently, a dose of fifty percent." This 8-hour time-weighted average is known as an exposure action value. While the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) also requires a hearing conservation program, MSHA does not require a written hearing conservation program. MSHA's hearing conservation program requirement can be found in 30 CFR § 62.150, and is very similar to the OSHA hearing conservation program requirements. Therefore, only the OSHA standard 29 CFR 1910.95 will be discussed in detail.

Auditory processing disorder (APD), rarely known as King-Kopetzky syndrome or auditory disability with normal hearing (ADN), is a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting the way the brain processes sounds. Individuals with APD usually have normal structure and function of the ear, but cannot process the information they hear in the same way as others do, which leads to difficulties in recognizing and interpreting sounds, especially the sounds composing speech. It is thought that these difficulties arise from dysfunction in the central nervous system. This is, in part, essentially a failure of the cocktail party effect found in most people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World Blood Donor Day</span> International observance, June 14

World Blood Donor Day (WBDD) is held on June 14 each year. The event was organised for the first time in 2004, by four core international organizations: the World Health Organization, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies; the International Federation of Blood Donor Organizations (IFBDO) and the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) to raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products, and to thank blood donors for their voluntary, life-saving gifts of blood. World Blood Donor Day is one of 11 official global public health campaigns marked by the World Health Organization (WHO), along with World Health Day, World Chagas Disease Day, World Tuberculosis Day, World Immunization Week, World Patient Safety Day, World Malaria Day, World No Tobacco Day, World Hepatitis Day, World Antimicrobial Awareness Week and World AIDS Day.

Amblyaudia is a term coined by Dr. Deborah Moncrieff to characterize a specific pattern of performance from dichotic listening tests. Dichotic listening tests are widely used to assess individuals for binaural integration, a type of auditory processing skill. During the tests, individuals are asked to identify different words presented simultaneously to the two ears. Normal listeners can identify the words fairly well and show a small difference between the two ears with one ear slightly dominant over the other. For the majority of listeners, this small difference is referred to as a "right-ear advantage" because their right ear performs slightly better than their left ear. But some normal individuals produce a "left-ear advantage" during dichotic tests and others perform at equal levels in the two ears. Amblyaudia is diagnosed when the scores from the two ears are significantly different with the individual's dominant ear score much higher than the score in the non-dominant ear Researchers interested in understanding the neurophysiological underpinnings of amblyaudia consider it to be a brain based hearing disorder that may be inherited or that may result from auditory deprivation during critical periods of brain development. Individuals with amblyaudia have normal hearing sensitivity but have difficulty hearing in noisy environments like restaurants or classrooms. Even in quiet environments, individuals with amblyaudia may fail to understand what they are hearing, especially if the information is new or complicated. Amblyaudia can be conceptualized as the auditory analog of the better known central visual disorder amblyopia. The term “lazy ear” has been used to describe amblyaudia although it is currently not known whether it stems from deficits in the auditory periphery or from other parts of the auditory system in the brain, or both. A characteristic of amblyaudia is suppression of activity in the non-dominant auditory pathway by activity in the dominant pathway which may be genetically determined and which could also be exacerbated by conditions throughout early development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Safe-in-Sound Award</span>

The Safe-in-Sound Excellence in Hearing Loss Prevention Award is an occupational health and safety award that was established in 2007 through a partnership between the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the National Hearing Conservation Association (NHCA). In 2018, the partnership was extended to include the Council for Accreditation in Occupational Hearing Conservation (CAOHC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Starkey Hearing Technologies</span> American company

Starkey Hearing Technologies is an American privately owned company based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota that makes hearing aids, and is one of the largest hearing aid manufacturers in the world. As of 2019, the company had more than 5,000 employees in 24 facilities, serving more than 100 markets worldwide, and is the only American-owned global hearing aid manufacturer.

WS Audiology is a privately-owned manufacturer of hearing aids with headquarters in Denmark and Singapore with roots going back to 1878 and Siemens AG. The current company was created following the 2019 merger of Sivantos Group and Widex. Prior to that, Sivantos was spun off from Siemens after Siemens AG sold the company to EQT and Santo Holding in 2015. WS Audiology employs about 12,000 people in more than 125 countries. In fiscal year 2022-2023, the company generated revenue of €2.47 billion and adjusted EBITDA of €480 million.

The Hear the World Foundation is a corporate nonprofit foundation founded by Sonova working towards equal opportunities and better quality of life for people with hearing loss. The Foundation operates as grant-giver supporting project-partnerships in four specific areas:

Musicians can experience a number of health problems related to the practice and performance of music. The differences in career paths, occupations and performance scenarios are some of the determinants of a wide range of possible health effects.

Audiology and hearing health professionals in India is made up of Indian healthcare professional that focus on audiological and hearing problems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">H.870</span> ITU-T Recommendation

H.870 "Guidelines for safe listening devices/systems" is an ITU-T Recommendation, developed in collaboration with the World Health Organization. It specifies standards for safe listening to prevent hearing loss and was first approved in 2018. In March 2022, version 2 was approved and published.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Safe listening</span> Avoiding hearing damage from intentionally heard sounds

Safe listening is a framework for health promotion actions to ensure that sound-related recreational activities do not pose a risk to hearing.

References

  1. ↑ "World Hearing Day: 3 March". WHO. Archived from the original on February 8, 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
  2. ↑ "International Ear Care Day: 3 March". WHO. Archived from the original on March 2, 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  3. 1 2 "World Hearing Day 2024". www.who.int. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
  4. ↑ "World report on hearing". www.who.int. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
  5. ↑ "World Hearing Day 2023". www.who.int. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
  6. ↑ Morata, Thais; Zucki, Fernanda; Arrigo, Adriano Jorge; Cruz, Priscila C.; Gong, Wei; Matos, Hector Gabriel; Montilha, Alexandre; Peschanski, João; Cardoso, Maria Julia (2023-11-14). Exploratory study: Health promotion through Wikipedia outreach and educational activities (Report). In Review. doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-3568640/v1.
  7. ↑ whdadmin (2022-12-20). "WHD 2022 Report of Activity Released". World Hearing Day. Retrieved 2024-01-22.
  8. ↑ "World Hearing Day 2021 - Report of activities". www.who.int. Retrieved 2024-01-22.
  9. ↑ "World hearing day 2020: Hearing for life" . Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  10. ↑ "World Hearing Day 2020 Report of activities". www.who.int. Retrieved 2024-01-22.
  11. ↑ The Lancet (2017-12-02). "Hearing loss: time for sound action". The Lancet. 390 (10111): 2414. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(17)33097-0 . ISSN   0140-6736. PMID   29208294.
  12. ↑ "World Hearing Day 2019". Archived from the original on December 1, 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  13. ↑ A, Davis; P, Smith; M, Ferguson; S, Stephens; I, Gianopoulos (2007-11-07). "Acceptability, benefit and costs of early screening for hearing disability: a study of potential screening tests and models". Health Technology Assessment. 11 (42): 1–294. doi: 10.3310/hta11420 . ISSN   2046-4924. PMID   17927921.
  14. ↑ "Untreated Hearing Loss in Adults—A Growing National Epidemic". American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
  15. ↑ Ratanjee-Vanmali, Husmita; Swanepoel, De Wet; Laplante-Lévesque, Ariane (2018). "Characteristics, behaviours and readiness of persons seeking hearing healthcare online". International Journal of Audiology. 58 (2): 1–9. doi: 10.1080/14992027.2018.1516895 . hdl: 2263/74369 . PMID   30289050.
  16. ↑ "WHO | hearWHO". WHO. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  17. 1 2 3 "World Hearing Day 2019 – Report of Activities" (PDF). Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  18. ↑ Morata, Thais C.; Chadha, Shelly (2019-05-05). "Make Quality Hearing Health Information Available to All". The Hearing Journal. 72 (5): 6. doi: 10.1097/01.HJ.0000559493.29061.35 . ISSN   0745-7472.
  19. ↑ "3 March 2018: World Hearing Day". Archived from the original on December 3, 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  20. ↑ "World Hearing Day 2019". World Health Organization. Archived from the original on January 8, 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  21. ↑ "WHO | 3 March 2016: World Hearing Day". WHO. Archived from the original on January 8, 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  22. ↑ "WHO | Make Listening Safe". WHO. Archived from the original on January 8, 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
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